Top 10 Hangover Cures

“I am never going to drink again!” Haven’t we all, at some point in our petty yet unusually awesome lives, sworn by these words? The excruciating and annoying headaches, nausea, sensitivity to light and noise, lethargy, diarrhoea and thirst due to hangovers are more than enough to drive us to such fickle resolutions. Hangover (mind you not the movie) does not really have any magical cure per say but there are ways to reduce the effect and lessen specific nuisances which characterizes one. Trust me hugging the porcelain throne all night isn’t fun, so here is a list of the things you could do to make hangovers more bearable or even reduce them! Of course, you could give up drinking completely but that’s not going to happen, is it? The top 10 hangover cures are listed here.

10. Water:

Well the elixir of life, water, can go a long way in reducing the effect of hangovers. It is simple: the more water you take, the more bathroom trips you make for relieving your bladder and the more the chances to evict the alcohol sooner from your system and reducing the after effect of a few glasses of drinks. Alcohol can cause dehydration too and hence all the more important the need for water as a means to not only lessen the intensity of the hangover but also thwarting dehydration.

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9. Milk Thistle:

Milk and Alcohol? Yes the combination or even just the names of the two in the same sentence sounds bizarre, doesn’t it? But it is said that a small dosage of the same both prior and after alcohol consumption helps a great deal in reducing hangovers. Working to regenerate liver cells, milk thistle has been tried and tested in its capacity to reduce the effects of hangovers on people.

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8. Coffee Time:

Though one doesn’t necessarily have to be hung over for grabbing a cup or two of coffee, it has been seen that coffee has been consumed to wake up and feel alert. Since one of the symptoms or identifiers of a hangover is lethargy, a bit of caffeine can actually be quite helpful. However, the point to be noted is too much of coffee can again elevate the dehydration caused by alcohol consumption which effectively means more discomfort rather than relief.

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7. Hair of the dog:

Well this is a controversial subject really. Many are of the opinion that when hung over, the consumption of further alcohol helps in relieving its symptoms. It is a notion that has been traditionally accepted, even by the hospitality industry. However, the medical side of the spectrum of opinion corroborates that further drinking just postpones the onset of hangovers. It is hence more a placebo than anything else. Therefore it qualifies to be listed among’st the best hangover cures.

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6. Eating carbs (carbohydrates):

Appetite could well be an issue when you are botched up by alcohol but then again sometimes eating the right thing is just what you need to normalize your blood sugar levels. In that context carbs can help bring blood sugar levels back up the morning after. Something as simple as a sandwich can help ease the suffering.

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5. Greasy cures:

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Mac and cheese or just pizza provides the necessary grease and protein to help you when in the hangover situation. The idea is of comfort and easily available food and what can be better than these two options. The protein in cheese which is present in abundance in pizzas helps repair all the damage caused to the body. So keep that pizza delivery number in handy for the morning after.

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4. Bananas:

Sounds crazy but they are among the top hangover cures. Being full of fructose they provide energy which is very much needed when hung over. Excessive drinking leads to depletion of potassium in your body, hence here too bananas come in handy for they contain the mineral in a decent amount. Since nausea and pain in the stomach are characteristics of hangovers too, the natural antacids in banana could well be the silent reliever.

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3. Pill for the headache:

When nothing else works and your head pounds away to glory, it is advisable to take a pill to ease the headache. However, keep in mind that the medication shouldn’t be too strong as the liver which is working overtime to metabolize alcohol could be harmed. Take an aspirin and that should do the trick reducing your problem to half.

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2. Sweat it out:

Fresh air with some exercise the next day could help you getting back to your usual self minus the hangover. Boost your endorphins with a good exercise and you’ll feel much better. It also improves your mood, gets rid of unwanted toxins and helps burn the unwanted calories too. Only thing to keep in mind is that water should be taken at appropriate intervals during exercise to prevent dehydration.

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1. Vitamins:

A lot of vitamins could be lost in one night of drinking, hence a pill that includes thiamine, riboflavin, folic acid, B6 and B12 among others could help to combat hangovers successfully. There is no scientific proof of this theory but there are people who vouch for its effectiveness. So take some vitamin complex prior to drinking and one the morning after and it is supposed to make your transition easier. But above all the best way is to abstain.